Thursday, June 27, 2013

Hello, Bloggers, here is my next post of Oscar predictions for next year and as I promised, I will rundown my predictions for Best Supporting Actress and the dark horses that could sneak their way onto the Final Five. Here we go:

Amy Adams, American Hustle: Honestly, I was unsure of whether or not she would be lobbied for the Lead or Supporting Actress category but I feel that because of the heavy competition in the Lead category, she will be lobbied for the Supporting category and will try to score her 5th Oscar nomination. If she does get nominated, one could only cross their fingers that she actually wins this time. But if she doesn't, then I'm sure that she'll still win in the future.

Cameron Diaz, The Counselor: While their is plenty of awards buzz surrounding The Counselor, the one actress that is surely getting the most buzz compared to her co-stars is Cameron Diaz. I have read reactions of people that actually saw an early cut of the film and say that she is absolutely fantastic and nails her role. She's been in contention for an Oscar in the past when she did Being John Malkovich and Vanilla Sky, but if what they say about her performance in The Counselor is true, then her time to score an Oscar nod will come.

Margo Martindale, August: Osage County: Up until now with the awards buzz that August: Osage County is getting, odds are you haven't really heard of Margo Martindale, although she's been a lot of movies and shows you've probably seen her in. This veteran actress has appeared in many films that include Million Dollar Baby, The Firm, and Walk Hard, and TV shows like New Girl and Justified. While Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are getting plenty of Oscar buzz, Martindale seems to be going along for the ride as well.

Vanessa Redgrave, Foxcatcher: Speaking of veteran actresses, another vet that seems to be in strong awards contention is Vanessa Redgrave. She is said to have a small, but pivotal role as the wheelchair-bound mother of paranoid schizophrenic millionaire Jon Du Pont, played by Steve Carell. Apparently, she has only a couple of scenes, but as evidenced with Beatrice Straight, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her five-minute role in Network back in 1977, Judi Dench who won the same award for her eight-minute role in Shakespeare In Love back in 1999, Viola Davis who was nominated in the same category for her short but brief role in Doubt back in 2009, and even Anthony Hopkins who won Best Actor for Silence of the Lambs even though he had about 20 minutes of screentime, length has nothing to do with performance. It all depends on how big of an impression you leave on the audience. So, if Redgrave nails her role, then I wouldn't be surprised to see her name announced on Nomination Day.

Oprah Winfrey, The Butler: Another performance that I'm unsure whether or not it will be lobbied for the Lead or Supporting category, but because many of us haven't seen The Butler yet, for now, I'm putting Oprah Winfrey's performance in the Supporting category. If the Weinstein Co. do lobby her for Best Supporting Actress, then it will be her second Oscar nomination and in that same category, as the last time she was nominated was back in 1986 for The Color Purple, so the "It's been a while" factor could benefit her, as the Academy loves to give veteran performers who haven't been nominated in a while another shot at the Oscar gold.

So, those are my predictions on who I think will be nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and who could fight for a spot on the Final Five. Next, I will do the last acting category, which is of course, Best Supporting Actor. Until then, thanks for reading!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Hello, Bloggers, as I said yesterday when I made my predictions on who will be nominated for Best Actress at next year's Oscars, I will do my predictions on who I think will be nominated for Best Actor and who will possibly be dark horse contenders and here we go:

Bruce Dern, Nebraska: Bruce Dern's performance in Nebraska recently made a splash at Cannes Film Festival when we won the award for Best Actor, and because the Cannes Film Festival is one of those top festivals that generates awards buzz, Dern's win could generate some Oscar buzz as well. There is still some debate as to whether or not Dern's role is leading or supporting but because he won Best Actor at Cannes, I'm putting him in the Lead category. Plus, there are leading performances that get put in the supporting categories and vice versa.

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street: Leo DiCaprio could possibly score his fourth Oscar nomination and third nomination for Best Actor. One reason is that it's another Scorsese project, and because Scorsese is a staple at the Academy Awards, that could easily work in DiCaprio's favor. If he's nominated, whether or not he'll actually win remains to be seen as the Academy might feel because he is 38, he's got time to score the coveted golden statue.

Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips: Tom Hanks actually has two movies coming out that are getting awards buzz: Captain Phillips and Saving Mr. Banks, which I will discuss when I go over my predictions for Best Supporting Actor. But in Captain Phillips, he very much is the lead. A few factors that could favor Tom Hanks are the "it's been a while" factor, as the last time he was nominated was back in 2001 for Cast Away, and the fact that Captain Phillips is based on a true story, which is one type of film that the Academy warms up to.

Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station: While Fruitvale Station was a huge hit at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film, there is plenty of buzz surrounding its breakout lead actor, Michael B. Jordan. Because Beasts of the Southern Wild won the Grand Jury Prize last year and went on to receive Academy Award nominations this year, including one for its lead actress Quvenzhane Wallis, the same thing could happen to both Fruitvale Station and to Michael B. Jordan.

Matthew McConaughey, The Dallas Buyer's Club: While Matthew McConaughey has had a successful career, right now his career is on a hot streak as he is doing several indie projects to prove that he is an artiste as well as a marquee name and is working with directors like Steven Soderbergh and Martin Scorsese, and has just signed on to star in Christopher Nolan's upcoming project Interstellar. But the one movie that is sure to guarantee him Oscar buzz is The Dallas Buyer's Club, where he plays a real life AIDS victim named Ron Woodruff. All the weight that he has lost for this movie to make himself look like a real AIDS victim could easily pay off and lock him a nomination, as undergoing serious physical transformations has favored actors like Tom Hanks when he won for Philadelphia and was nominated for Cast Away, Robert De Niro when we won for Raging Bull, and Charlize Theron when she won for Monster.

Here are some dark horse contenders that the Academy may not say "Neigh" to:

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Hello, Bloggers! Even though the next Oscars ceremony won't be until the beginning of next year, I figured it'd be fun to predict who I think will be nominated in some of the main categories. So, I'll start with who I think could potentially be nominated for Best Actress and who could be dark horse contenders. Here we go:

I'll start off with the five ladies who I think could be nominated:

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine: I feel that Blanchett could lock a nomination because she's starring in a Woody Allen movie, and it's no secret that he is a staple at the Academy Awards even though he never goes to the actual ceremony. Also, some actresses have had good luck with winning or being nominated for Oscars for starring in Woody Allen movies, including Penelope Cruz who won for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Diane Keaton who won for Annie Hall, Dianne Weist who won for both Hannah And Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway, and Samantha Morton who was nominated for Sweet and Lowdown. So, if Blanchett is nominated, she could join that band of actresses. Plus, from the looks of the trailer, she looks like she'll do a fantastic job in her role.

Nicole Kidman, Grace of Monaco: Nicole Kidman could potentially be nominated for a few reasons: One is that it's a biopic and another is that it's distributed by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who are another staple at the Academy Awards. Plus, it's a biopic about Grace Kelly, a former movie star who was very affluent in the older Hollywood era and because the average age of Academy voters is about 60, Grace of Monaco could easily warm up to them. Although I'm not sure if it'll warm up to today's generation because of how they aren't as familiar with Grace Kelly or her life story. Whether or not that hurts Kidman's chances at getting nominated remains to be seen.

Meryl Streep, August: Osage County: Even before the trailer for August came out, many thought Meryl was a lock for a nomination and even a fourth win because of how the material the film is based on is a Pulitzer-winning play and the actress who played Meryl's role on Broadway, Deanna Dunagan, won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress In A Play, which could be a sign of good luck for Meryl, who could score her 18th nomination, retaining her superlative as the most celebrated and nominated actress of all time.

Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks: While the first three nominees have had somewhat recent wins, it's been a while since Thompson scored Oscar gold, as she won her first Oscar 20 years ago for Best Actress for Howard's End and her second Oscar three years later for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility. I feel that because the Academy usually loves to give veteran actors who previously won and haven't even been nominated in a while another shot at the Oscar gold, this could easily benefit Thompson as the last time she was nominated was back in 1996 when she won her last Oscar and received her last nomination for Best Actress.

Naomi Watts, Diana: If there's another actress that's getting as buzz to win as Meryl Streep, it's probably Naomi Watts for her portrayal of Princess Diana in Diana. While modern moviegoers may not be as familiar with Grace Kelly, they are quite familiar with Princess Diana, which could be beneficial for the film itself. One thing that could help Naomi Watts is that if she is nominated with the other four actresses, than they could easily give it to her as Blanchett, Kidman, Streep, and Thompson have already won Oscars before and while Watts has been nominated before for both 21 Grams and The Impossible, she has yet to receive her golden statue.

Now, onto the possible dark horse contenders who could sneak their way into the Final Five:

Friday, June 21, 2013

Hello, Bloggers, welcome to another episode of Trailer Talk. On today's Trailer Talk, I will review technically two trailers that I saw in theaters and four that I watched online. It's a long story why I'm reviewing two trailers I saw in theaters, so I won't go into any further details, but as I usually do I'll start off with the trailers I saw in theaters. So, here we go:

The Heat: First up is the trailer for The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. Now, I think both women are very funny and from the looks of the trailer, they seem to have great comedic chemistry in a film that does a gender twist on the "buddy cop" genre, but I don't feel like this is a film I would see in theaters, for some reason. I might check it out in theaters.

The World's End: Next up is the trailer for The World's End, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and is directed by frequent collaborator Edgar Wright, who also directed them in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. So, since Shaun of the Dead parodies the zombie genre, and Hot Fuzz parodies cop films, it looks like the triple team of Pegg, Frost, and Wright are now heading into sci-fi territory as this film deals with aliens. I feel like I should see either Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz first if I want to see this in theaters, but if I don't, I'll still check it out when it's on TV.

Anchorman 2: Next up is the trailer for the only sequel on this list, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Now, I actually saw the teaser trailer for this when I went to go see The Internship and This Is The End, but while I was just on the IMDB looking for trailers to review, I figured I'd watch and review the newest trailer they just posted. So, I did, and I think this sequel looks like it has a lot of promise. It's got the merry band from the first one: David Koechner, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and of course, Ron Burgundy himself, Will Ferrell, so that's a good sign. It even has an interesting new band of actors, which includes Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Meagan Good, and I hear there'll even be cameos from stars like Nicole Kidman and Jim Carrey. I'll have to watch the first film in its entirety before I see this in theaters and I think I will.

The Wolf of Wall Street: Next up is the trailer for the newest Leonardo DiCaprio-Martin Scorsese vehicle The Wolf of Wall Street. Now, I've made no secret that Scorsese is one of my favorite directors and I really like DiCaprio. But what really makes me interested in this is how it looks different from Scorsese's previous films. This film looks like it'll be a dark comedy, something that I don't think Scorsese has done before. Since Scorsese is a huge favorite of mine, I feel like I'm obligated to see this in theaters.

Blue Jasmine: Next up is the trailer for Blue Jasmine, starring Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin. While I have just talked about a film made by one of my favorite directors, Marin Scorsese, this film is made by a director who I've started to become fond of: Woody Allen. Now, the only other Woody Allen film that I've seen is Midnight in Paris and I really liked that film, but when I watched the trailer for this film, I was quickly intrigued. Because it's a Sony Pictures Classics film, it'll more than likely get a limited release, but hopefully it plays in a theater nearest me.

The Spectacular Now: Lastly is the trailer for the Sundance hit The Spectacular Now. Now, this is a film that seems like a typical high school "coming-of-age" story, but it's got quite a stellar cast, which includes Shailene Woodley, Kyle Chandler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and even Dayo Okeniyi, who played Thresh in The Hunger Games. Also, what appears to make this "coming-of-age" story different from others is how it showcases two teenagers living for the moment with no thoughts of tomorrow and just living in the "spectacular now". Plus, because I'm such an indie film buff, I may give this film a chance, whether I see it in theaters or on TV.

So, that was episode #7 of Trailer Talk and I will post episode #8 soon, whether it is when I go to the movies again or whether I catch some new trailers online. But until then, have a good one, everybody!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

So, I said in my last Trailer Talk that I would possible do a review for This Is The End next, but my next movie, which is the next movie I've seen in theaters, not counting my Cinema Club screenings, that is The Internship. Honestly, I have to say I'm pretty glad that I saw this. When I saw the ads for it, I figured it would be funny because it has Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, but it was quite funny.

Story:The Internship is about two salesmen named Billy and Nick (Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson) who have just been unemployed and while Billy does a Google search, he gets the idea of applying them both for an internship at Google, despite their lack of technological and internet expertise.

What I Liked About It:
One thing that I really liked was the comedic chemistry between Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Like I said, they are two very funny actors and like in Wedding Crashers, they play off each other very well in this. I even liked the side characters a lot. Max Minghella, who plays the main antagonist Graham, plays a similar character to his in The Social Network, but his character in this is played more for laughs and he does provide some solid laughs. Dylan O'Brien, whom some of you may know as Stiles on the MTV series Teen Wolf, plays a sidekick who provides comedic relief like in Teen Wolf, but only in this, his humor is much more deadpan, which is honestly my favorite brand of humor. Rose Byrne does a fine job as Dana, Nick's love interest who is very career-minded but eventually gives in to Nick's attempts to date her. It was cool to see her play a serious role in The Place Beyond The Pines and then pull a complete 180 and play a comedic role in this. John Goodman has a small role but even he provides some laughs. It seems he's quickly becoming Hollywood's go-to guy for stealing the show in small 5-minute roles.

What I Didn't Liked About It:
Honestly, there were some things I wasn't too crazy about, like how the ending was predictable and there was a small conflict between the two protagonists that didn't last very long, but those are just nitpicks more than anything else. Still had fun with this movie.

Consensus:
Overall, The Internship is a fun comedy with stellar hilarious performances from the cast. If you want to watch a film where you can turn your brain off and just laugh out loud and not have to try to find meaning to it, then I would recommend this movie.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Hello, bloggers, Welcome to another episode of Trailer Talk. I haven't been to the movies in a while, so I haven't seen any new trailers in theaters, just online, and here are some that I've watched. Here we go:

Insidious: Chapter 2: First up is the trailer for the first sequel on this segment, Insidious: Chapter 2. Now, I saw the first one, and I thought it was a nice eerie homage to older horror films from the 70's. This one looks to have an old school feel also, but to the point that it looks campy and it's making me lose interest. I don't think I'll take a gamble and see this in theaters, but maybe when it's on TV.

Machete Kills: Next up is the second trailer on this segment, Machete Kills. Now, this one looks to have the same grindhouse feel that the first one has and that is making me interested in seeing this. Plus, it's got an interesting band of new actors, such as Sofia Vergara, Mel Gibson, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Charlie Sheen, who is going by his real name "Carlos Estevez", and even Lady GaGa. I worry that the excessive new band of characters will hurt the film, but one thing that I am certain the film will have is a lot of bloody violent action. I'll possibly check it out in theaters.

300: Rise Of An Empire: Next, is the third and final sequel on this segment, 300: Rise Of An Empire. Now, I wasn't too excited for this one before I saw the trailer, even though I enjoyed the first one, but this one looks pretty awesome. One reason is that it's got Eva Green, who is amazing in everything she does. It seems like she's playing another villain in this, but she's awesome at those types of roles. I especially like how this film seems to have female characters taking center stage, unlike the first one where the males take center stage, which definitely isn't a bad thing. I think what they are doing with this film is a good move because the sex appeal of the women will appeal to the men and women will love the "girl power" aspect so it could appeal to a wider audience. I might check this one out in theaters.

Diana: Next up, we have the trailer for the upcoming biopic Diana starring Naomi Watts as the title character. This biopic is about Princess Diana and how she would become a tabloid and celebrity darling, although that kind of attention would lead to her tragic end. I feel that this film will get a lot of Oscar love because it is being released towards the end of the year and it is a biopic which is one type of movie the Academy loves. I'm a bit unsure about seeing this one because I don't know too much about Princess Diana's story, so it's not really grabbing my attention. I mean, it is very sad what happened to her, but this film just isn't reaching out to me unlike those who are more familiar with her story than I am.

Elysium: Next up is the trailer for the sci-fi epic Elysium starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. It is also made by Neill Blomkamp, who also did District 9. It seems that he is taking a similar approach to what he did in District 9 in terms of both movies dealing with some type of social commentary. Except District 9 portrays racism without using race and Elysium deals with the collision of two social classes, the rich and the poor. I think because of the approach that Blomkamp is taking with both films, he is becoming one of the most creative directors in the film industry. Now, when I first heard about this film, I got excited because of the film's premise, and it's got A-listers Matt Damon and Jodie Foster who are good in everything I see them in. I think I'll see it in theaters.

Runner, Runner: Lastly is the trailer for Runner, Runner starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake. Now, while I do like both actors and the film features an interesting concept involving online gambling, I'm not too drawn in by this trailer. I'm not too sure why, but there is nothing about this film that makes me want to run out and see it. I feel that it'll attract a wide audience because Affleck and Timberlake are pretty solid box office draws, but maybe when the film comes out, I'll have a change of heart and decide to take a gamble and see it out of curiosity. But for now, it is a rental for me.

So, that was episode #6 of Trailer Talk, and I will post episode #7 either when I see my next film, which is potentially This Is The End, or when I see some new trailers online. But until then, have a good one, everyone!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Hey there, Bloggers, in honor of Father's Day on June 16th, I figured I'd come up with a list of the top 10 Best and the Top 5 Worst Movie Dads, just like with what I did on Mother's Day when I did a list of the Top 10 Best and Top 5 Worst Movie Moms. Here we go:

Best:
10. Dr. John Dolittle from Dr.Dolittle: To me, John Dolittle is super cool because of his gifted ability to talk to animals. For any kid that's a die-hard animal lover, John must be their dream dad. He's even got a pretty good sense of humor.

9. Edward Bloom from Big Fish: While John Dolittle is cool because of his ability to talk to animals, Edward Bloom is cool because of the majestic stories that he tells. Not only that, but he got to live his stories and to tell them to his child who would tell the same stories to his own child who would continue the chain and tell the same stories to his friends is pretty neat.

8. Dill Penderghast from Easy A: I may already have Rosemary on my list of the best movie moms, but because Olive Penderghast's parents are so awesome, I couldn't help but put her father on this list. He's level-headed and very supporting, yet very witty. Even when his daughter undergoes a social turmoil, he shows a strong level of understanding.

7. Daniel Hillard from Mrs. Doubtfire: Now, a lot of people have him on their "Worst Movie Dads" list, but I think otherwise because dressing in drag in order to spend time with your own children isn't exactly an easy task. But Daniel does it and to me, that's pretty admirable.

6. Marlin from Finding Nemo: The only animated dad on this list, Marlin is a dad that is strict, but strict for understandable reasons as he at first fears the ocean but he eventually overcomes it as he goes through numerous obstacles as he tries to save his captured son.

5. Chris Gardner from The Pursuit of Happyness: Chris Gardner is a dad who is down on his luck as he loses both his apartment and his wife, and is broke. But the one thing that keeps pushing him forward is his undying love for his son. He even reminds his son never to let anyone tell him that he can't accomplish anything. He simply tells him: "If you want something, go get it. Period."

4. Bryan Mills from Taken: Just like how Sarah Connor is the ultimate badass mom, Bryan Mills is pretty much the ultimate badass dad. Once his daughter is taken, he has no problem killing anyone that gets in his way in order to get her back. He's like one of those vicious lions you see on Animal Planet: Mess with his cub, then he'll use his razor-sharp talons to claw off your face. Who knew the bad guys that took his daughter would feel the wrath of Schindler's Fist?

3. John Quincy Archibald from John Q.: John is a father who is really down on his luck, as his son is in desperate need of an operation or he will die, but his insurance will not cover it. So in order to get his son's name on the donor's list, he resorts to holding a hostage. If that's not a noble act to save the one you love, I don't know what is.

2. Don Vito Corleone from The Godfather: While Vito may be the head of the mafia, he is the epitome of a family man. He would do anything for his family, even going as far as to convincing a movie producer to cast his godson in his movie by having the producer's horse decapitated. Very gruesome act, I'll admit, but it just shows how much he loves his family.

1. Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird: Not only is Atticus Finch a heroic lawyer as he defends social outcasts and victims of prejudice, but he is also a model father. He is stern but loving and gives meaningful advice to his children. He not only serves as an inspiration for the people that live in his town, but for fathers everywhere, and that is why he is the best movie dad.

Now, onto the dads who couldn't care less if it was Father's Day....

Worst:

5. Norman Osborn from Spider-Man: Norman Osborn is a father who never seemed to have time for his son, but to make matters worse, he becomes the Green Goblin and goes on a killing spree. He is such an *inspiration* to his son, that he follows his father's footsteps and becomes the new Green Goblin.

4.The Engineers from Prometheus: Seems like an odd choice, but the Engineers are essentially our original fathers. But they seem to want to kill us and we never know why. They seem to really live by the saying "We brought you into his world, now we're going to take you out".

3. Guy Woodhouse from Rosemary's Baby: While Rosemary's Baby is a film about the protagonist's pregnancy, it's Guy's actions to get his wife pregnant that solidify his inclusion on this list. Seems he was willing to have his wife carry the spawn of Satan and join his apartment's Satanist coven in exchange for a more successful acting career. Not very admirable.

2. Col. Frank Fitts from American Beauty: Now, this was a toss-up between Col. Frank Fitts and Lester Burnham from the same movie. But thinking about Fitts' actions, he makes Burnham look like Atticus Finch. Not only is he abusive to his son and his wife, but he manages to kill his son's girlfriend's father. So he not only beats up his own son, but he leaves his girlfriend fatherless. He got to ruin two lives for the price of one.

1. Jack Torrance from The Shining: This seemed like a pretty easy choice for number 1 simply because of his favorite activities with his son that include "Axe Chase Through the Maze In The Snow". Plus, there is trapping his family in a creepy motel for the winter even though he's a recovering alcoholic and staying there just made him suffer cabin fever. Doesn't seem to be the healthiest way to solve family problems, does it?

So, those are my lists of the top 10 best and the top 5 worst movie dads. If you agree or disagree with any of my choices, please feel free to comment or add any other suggestions to who you think should've made the list, and Happy Father's Day!